Divinities
Numerous divinities roam the lands of Chanteval. As much as religion does not bear constant importance from civilization to civilization, gods are still a prominent reality of this world. Three types of divinities can be identified: the Old Ones, the Dunamai and the Novae. The Old Ones The Old Ones refer to the group of gods responsible for the creation of the world. They are the most powerful beings to exist, they shaped the world an every living being into their likeliness - but they are also the reason why the world is flawed and rooted in a paradox. Aside from Sirius, the Old Ones are generally unfeeling, only able to experience raw, primal forms of emotions that cater to their element. The Old Ones are able to shapeshift and are known to have many forms, some of which are mortal disguises that allow them to roam about the world they created. Despite their status as the Creator Gods, the Old Ones are unable to create new gods. Instead, they can bless anyone with a fraction of their power, as well as transform them. Each Old One has a set of unique abilities which mortals may seek for help. The Old Ones are: * Sirius, God of Life, Light and Emotions, known as the Father of the world. * Kamara, Goddess of Power * Hora, Goddess of Time, currently sealed in an unknown place * Nagai, God of Matter, currently sealed as well * Soraya, the original goddess of Will and Emotions, currently deceased. Her soul lives on with the world and her powers went to Sirius. Each Old One has a set of twelve Celestial Envoys that ascended upon their decision. Old Ones are able to have demigod children when procreating with other beings. The Dunamai The Dunamai refer to the divinities that were created by the world itself, when the raw magical energies were still finding their shape. These earthly divinities generally each represent a single aspect of the world, and may have a varying number of Celestial Envoys (up to 4) depending on their importance. Much like the Old Ones, they are unable to create other divinities, but are able to produce demigods. The Novae A Nova is a divinity born from the beliefs of mortals. The presence of magic (power) in the world coupled with Will gave the mortals the uncanny ability to shape life from their own determination. A vast group of mortals and strong beliefs are required to bring a Nova to life - mortals believe in their existence prior to them actually existing, often as a way to explain certain elements of the world their science does not allow them to explain yet. Novae are often connected to abstract constructions such as emotions, concepts, such as Love, War or Justice. Novae do not have Celestial Envoys and rely on their religion to exist. If a Nova is forgotten and its worship is ceased, it will eventually lose all essence and disappear. They do have powers that qualifies them as godly beings, however: they are able to grant mortals power, they are responsive to prayers directed at them Demigods Demigods are children born to a celestial being and a mortal. They come in many forms and shapes, appearing more or less godly, having a longer or shorter lifespan, some are even rumored to be immortal. Demigods are more powerful than the average mortal, often displaying abilities connected to their parent. Some of them are worshipped like divinities in their own right, such as Queen Lucie. Only Old Ones and Dunamai can produce demigods - Novae not being proper physical beings.